Natalie and I have been friends since we met on the school bus in first grade. I haven't seen her and her husband Ben for two years! A lot has changed in those two years! They've moved back to their home state of Indiana with their baby girl Nora and their two rescues Costello, on the right, and Lexi on the left. This is the first time I've met their daughter and their dogs! They've created a very easy-going, furry family of five. 

Natalie wanted 'down to earth' grassy family shots, which my Aunt and Uncle's backyard delivered. It was perfect, we could let the dogs off-leash without any worries, and the only distractions were an occasional bird or squirrel. 

Here are two similar shots, but different focal lengths. I couldn't make up my mind if I liked the naturalistic shot with the large depth of field (more detail in the background), or the more artistic looking small depth of field (very blurry background).

This is what happily ever after looks like. 

Seeing Nora feels like traveling back in time and seeing Natalie as a baby. Those eyes. Those cheeks! Oh my goodness! The drawer that Nora is sitting in was refinished by Natalie, and the blue knitted blanket in the background is the first knitted blanket Natalie ever made. I was there when she knitted it, probably ten years ago, because I learned to knit alongside Natalie. One of the many things I adore about Natalie is how she's so thoughtful and puts so much sentiment and meaning into everything she does.

Here are some shots of Costello. He was the first furbaby Natalie and Ben adopted after moving to Colorado! He was a little timid at first, but I gave him plenty of space and used my zoom until he trusted me more. What a handsome, fluffy guy! 

Whenever a camera is around, Lexi does her best Audrey Hepburn, doe-eyed wistful look. She is the ultimate people lover, and lives to greet people. She's always by Natalie's side in the house, helping put Nora to sleep for naps, and hanging out during changing time. She loves protecting her family and nanny-ing baby Nora. Nana from Peter Pan would approve!

Love, Love, Love. Just in case you didn't notice, those lilac colored flowers match Lexi's collar! Seriously!

I worked with Costello and Lexi while Nora had an outfit change, but like the good watchdogs they are they kept checking on Momma and baby periodically. 

This was a touching end to our session! Natalie's husband had the sweet idea to go back to Main Street, Zionsville and recreate some of their wedding shots from 2008! Those were taken in a snowy November, so the contrast and change is really fantastic. I hope they keep doing updates as their family grows and changes over the years. Can you imagine a wall gallery in their home of the changes over time? 

What a joy! It was so rewarding to shoot this session for my best friend. One of our favorite things to do in High School was photo shoots in Arbuckle park in Brownsburg and neighboring corn fields. Some things never change!

And because I just can't resist, here's a picture of Natalie and I in first or second grade, at the Indianapolis Zoo, visiting the polar bears of course! That's my big brother Shawn on the left. Fanny packs! Oh boy!

Every time the plane lands in Indianapolis, the song 'Back Home Again, in Indiana' plays in my mind. I haven't been back to visit my birth state of Indiana in two years! Most of my small family followed me down to Florida, but my Aunt and Uncle, who I'm really close to, still live in Indiana and I stay with them when I'm in town. The house I grew up in is long gone, but over 16 years we've had a lot of memories in my Aunt and Uncle's home, and I love, love love, staying with them. Its the next best thing to home. 

My Mom and I flew in for Memorial Day weekend, and it was nonstop weekend for me. Two photo shoots, this one and a session for one of my childhood friends (her session will be my next post), and wedding dress shopping with a different childhood friend. Today I'm going to share the pics from one specific day I spent with my Aunt and Uncle and their comical maltese, McKenzie, Kenzie for short.

This is the first time I've been back since I've fallen in love with pet photography. I've been looking forward to being able to capture all those little details of Kenzie, the funny games he loves, his priceless expressions, and also some furry family portraits too. 

One of Kenzie's favorite things to do is hide in the cushions of the couch.  

This is Kenzie's impression of a couch pillow..

Loving all the love in these family photos!

McKenzie really has a range of expressions, and he shows his heart and thoughts in his eyes. He can go from silly to serious in seconds!

McKenzie's best friend Riley came over for a romp and some BFF portraits.

Riley posed pretty next to Aunt Kim's flowers, and I was able to get some beautiful bokeh, or out-of-focus spots of light, in the background. It just feels impressionistic and dreamy to me, I love it! McKenzie thought posing in front of flowers was too girly for him, but Riley humored me.

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